Children are confirmed to have been among dead after a lone terrorist detonated a huge bomb – thought to be packed with nails and bolts – as the concert ended.

Witnesses described the carnage in the aftermath of the blast, with one telling how she picked scraps of human flesh from her hair.

Political leaders from all parties announced they would halt their General Election campaigning as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives, with the PM calling an emergency Cobra meeting this morning.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police today said: “We have been treating this as a terrorist incident and we believe that while the attack last night was conducted by one man, the priority is to establish whether he was acting alone or as part of a network.

“The attacker, I can confirm, died at the arena.

“We believe the attacker was carrying an improvised explosive device, which he detonated, causing this atrocity.”